Electric multiple-fuse plug.



ALEXANDER HEPKE AND KURT DIENER, OE BEELiN, GERMANY.

ELECTRIC MULTIPLE-FUSE PLUG.

Specification of Letters Patent.

:Patented Jan. 9, 1906.

Anvlication filed July 20, 1904. Serial No. 217.398.

T0 all whom t may concern:

Be it known that we, ALEXANDER HEPKE and KURT DIENER, subjects of the King of Prussia, German Emperor, and residents of Berlin, Kingdom of Prussia, German Empire, have jointly invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electric Multiple-Fuse Plugs, of which the following` is an exact specification.

Qur invention relates to improvements in' fuse-plugs for electric circuits, and more especially to fuse-plugs with several fuses to be used one after the other. In such plugs it is necessary to fill the interior of the plug-body in which the fuses are arranged with sand, emery, or the like in order to prevent detrimental effects of the melting fuses. If the switching device by means of which a new fuse is to becut in after the melting of a Afuse is arranged in the saine room as the fuses, the switching is rendered difficult by the 'filling in the interior of the plug. In our plug the switching device for cutting in fuses is arranged on the outside of the plug, so that the whole interior can be filled with sand or the like, thereby avoiding any detrimental eli'ects of melting fuses.

Our invention offers the further advantage that the formation of the contacts can be controlled from the outside. rIhis cannot be done in the plugs hitherto known, in which the switching device is arranged in the interior of the plug.

In order to make our invention more clear, we refer to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a vertical section through an improved form of our plug, and Fig. 2 is a plan view.

In the drawings, 1 is an insulating-plug body, which is provided with a bore into which an insulating center piece 3 of star-like cross-section is placed.

2 represents fuses arranged in the interior of the plug, and these fuses 2 are separated and insulated from each other by the ribs 4 of the center piece 3. The lower ends of the fuses 2 are held in iiXed position by means of a setting-nut 8 and the contact-piece 5, the bolt 6 of this piece 5 being provided with a corresponding number of partitions, so that also in this lower part the fuses are separated from each other. The upper ends of the fuses 2 are bent over the upper edge of the insulating-plug body, which is provided outside with segment-like recesses. or holes 9,

into each of which tightly ts a metal piece 11. To each of these metal pieces 11 the end of a fuse 2 is soldered. In the outside wall of each of these segment-like recesses 9 a hole 1S is provided, so that the soldering of the 'fuse end to its corresponding metal piece 11 can easily be effected. After this soldering the holes 1 8 are filled with gypsum or the like. The whole interior of the plug is iilled with sand or emery, which is covered by an asbestos plate and then closed by a cap 19. Each of the metal pieces 11 is provided with an extension 12.

The lower outside end of the insulatingplug body' 1 carries a contact-shell 10, which is threaded in its lower part, but cylindrical in its upper part. Above this shell 10 a contact-cylinder 13 is fastened to the plug-body, which cylinder is electrically connected to the shell- 10. The contact-cylinder 13 is provided withextensions 14, one of which reaches into the lower part of a recess 9, so that each extension 14 is opposite to the extension of a metal piece 12.

15 is a ring of insulating material to which two coi'itact-springs 16 and 17 are fastened, so that a pair of contact-pieces 12 14 can be electrically connected by means of these springs 16 17.

In the plug shown in the drawings five fuses are provided, which can one after the other be placed into the circuit. If the plug is put into a socket, the current goes from the contact-piece 5 through fuse-wire 2, metal piece 11, metallic extension 12, springs 16 17,

metal piece 14, and leaves the plug through the contact-shell 10. If the fuse 2 is molten and a new fuse is to be placed into the circuit, the whole plug is taken out of the circuit, the switching-ring 15 is drawn down, so that the springs 16 17 leave the contactpieces 12 14. The ring 15 is then turned around the plug-bodies, so that the springs 16 17 can be placed between the contactpieces 12 14 of the next recess 9 of a not yet molten fuse.

Instead of providing the metal pieces 11 with one extension 12 and the metal ring 13 with corresponding extensions 14 the metal piece 11 could be provided with two eXtensions, between which the contact-springs 16 17 are pressed, and in order to complete the circuit the springs 16 17 must in this case be electrically connected to the shell 10. In-

stead of arranging five fuses within-the plug, as shown in the ligure, of course any desired IOO IlO

number of fuses may be provided. The plug may further be so devised that several fuses can simultaneously be placed in parallel into the circuit.

The plug described has the further advantage that it must be drawn out of the socket, so that a cutting in of new fuses can only be effected when the plug is out of the circuit. The plug may also otherwise be modified without departing from the nature of our invention. The main feature is that the switching device for completing the circuit in the plug is arranged outside the plug-body.

Having thus fully described the nature of our invention, what we desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States isl. In an electric fuse-plug, the combination with a plug-body of two outside contactbodies, through which the current enters and leaves the plug7 a plurality of fuses within said plug-body, one end of each fuse being electrically connected to one of said contactbodies, means arranged on the outside of the plug and so movable thereon as to electrically connect Sertattm the other fuse ends with the other outside contact-body, essentially as described and for the purpose set forth.

2. In an electric fuse-plug, the combination with a plug-body of two outside contactbodies, through which the current enters and leaves the plug, a plurality of fuses within said plug-body, one end of each fuse being electrically connected to one of said contactbodies, means arranged on the outside of the plug and so movable thereon as to electrically connect successively a certain number of the inside fuses with the other outside contact-body, substantially as described and for the purpose set forth.

3. In an electric fuse-plug7 the combination with a plug-body, of two outside contactbodies, through which the current enters and leaves the plug, a plurality of fuses within said plug-body, one end of each fuse being electrically connected to one of said contactbodies, partitions for insulating two successive fuses from each other, and a movable ring on the outside of the plug-body, with contact-springs for electrically connecting successively one of the inside fuses with. the other outside contact-body, substantially as described and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof we have signed our names to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ALEXANDER HEPKE. KURT DIENER. l/Vitnesses WOLDEMAR HAUPT, HENRY HAsPER. 

